Exercises to Help Muscle Pain & Body Aches

Exercise keeps your body strong and reduces the chance of injuries. But it’s not all about strength. You also need to incorporate flexibility and endurance (or cardiovascular) exercises to get an overall workout. If you’ve never exercised or haven’t in a while, you should speak to your doctor first.

The three types of exercises you want to incorporate into your routine are:

Stretching - improves flexibility, relieves tension and brings nutrients to your muscles. Stretch slowly without bouncing and stretch as far as you can but not so far that you feel pain.

Cardiovascular (endurance) exercise - great for your heart and lungs, improves circulation, helps reduce stress, keeps your weight in check and helps you sleep better. Just 20–30 minutes, two to three times a week will give you benefits.

Strength exercises - keep your muscles strong or make them even stronger which can help prevent future injuries. With strength exercises, listen to your body. If you do feel pain, stop the exercise.

You can do these exercises anytime, anywhere. Modify each exercise to your own comfort level and stop the exercise if you feel pain.

Before you start any of these exercises, make sure you’re sitting or standing with good posture.